Managment Comapanies aghhhhhhhh

poohwithmoney

Hi,

Does anyone have a lease hold flat with a rubbish management company looking after the freehold????

My company has put there yearly rate up by £200 this year but I really making the overall management fee £868 per year, however I feel the are getting money for old rope. They are meant to do weekly checks of the block of flats I live in which they don’t as I am constantly calling them to report fly tipping, to tell them the windows haven’t been cleaned, the gardens hasn’t been etc etc. It’s only when I complain that things get done. Does anyone know if as tenants the people in block of flats can get rid of the management company they have and appoint a new one – do I have any legal rights if I with hold payment and can prove they haven’t been doing what they are paid to do ( I have taken photographs dated them and matched them up with my email complaints and then logged the phone call date and who I have spoken to – Sad I know).

Thanks

x

dmg24

Does anyone have a lease hold flat with a rubbish management company looking after the freehold????

That would probably be better phrased 'Does everyone have a leasehold flat with a rubbish management company?'!

Management companies are my current big bugbear. Absolute scum of the earth (not to be too dramatic!).

Have a look at www.lease-advice.org, this will answer all your questions and more.

If you want to name and shame your agent, feel free.

Mine is Peverel OM, they have been charging me incorrectly for eighteen months now, and whenever I contact them about it, I just get a 'couldn't care less attitude'. There service is just pitiful.

izzybusy23

poohwithmoney wrote: »

Hi,

Does anyone have a lease hold flat with a rubbish management company looking after the freehold????

My company has put there yearly rate up by £200 this year but I really making the overall management fee £868 per year, however I feel the are getting money for old rope. They are meant to do weekly checks of the block of flats I live in which they don’t as I am constantly calling them to report fly tipping, to tell them the windows haven’t been cleaned, the gardens hasn’t been etc etc. It’s only when I complain that things get done. Does anyone know if as tenants the people in block of flats can get rid of the management company they have and appoint a new one – do I have any legal rights if I with hold payment and can prove they haven’t been doing what they are paid to do ( I have taken photographs dated them and matched them up with my email complaints and then logged the phone call date and who I have spoken to – Sad I know).

Thanks

x

Management companies can be dreadful. I bought a flat in portsmouth years back and the management company were terrible. They would charge whatever they felt like, say £20 to change a light bulb in the communal hallway!! There were 4 flats in the building so I guess we all got charged £80 for one light bulb! The carpets on the communal stairs were worn and loose and dangerous but they never replaced them, and when I wanted a reference for when I was moving to a house they refused because I refused to pay the latest extortionate fee until completion so I went around to their house personally and told them they were an absolute disgrace.

I would never buy a flat again.. too much hassle. Not sure how you stand about getting rid of them as my assumption is that they have bought the freehold and can charge whatever they like.

Good luck!

dmg24

I would never buy a flat again.. too much hassle. Not sure how you stand about getting rid of them as my assumption is that they have bought the freehold and can charge whatever they like.

I think you are getting confused betweeen the management company (who acts on behalf of the landlord) and the actual landlord (who owns the freehold). Sometimes they can be the same person, but in larger developments they tend not to be.

You can either elect to change the management company, or take up the right to form your own management company. More info on the link given above x

poohwithmoney

Thanks for the replys

My managment company is Johnson Cooper, i am going to speak to my solicitor this afternoon to see what can be done.

I have a list of how the cost are broken down all i can say is the window cleaner must me the richest man alive, there are 40 flats in my block and we all get charges £10 per fortnight for him not to turn up!!! i have taken to drawing little faces on the outside of my window writting the date and then seeing if he shows - not that i am mental or anything !!!!

dmg24

I have a list of how the cost are broken down all i can say is the window cleaner must me the richest man alive, there are 40 flats in my block and we all get charges £10 per fortnight for him not to turn up!!!

That is absolutely crazy!

When I questioned why we charged a £100 admin fee for each of the estate costs and the property costs, I was told 'Well, it is time consuming to arrange insurance'. £16000 to arrange block insurance (not including the actual cost of the insurance), maybe our admin person and your window cleaner should get together?!! x

tomstickland

We have the same problem.
You can self manage.
We're also buying the freehold.
lease-advice.org is the place to read up on it.

dmg24

Care to name your management company tomstickland?

I think we should compile a list of problem agents (if they are not all useless!).

EdInvestor

https://www.carl.org.uk

Plenty of useful info from the Campaign for the abolition of residential leasehold

tomstickland

They're Mainstay.

Doslos

Pledream Properties Ltd charges a lot